The deal solidifies the Tigers' rotation, giving them arguably the strongest in baseball with Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer and Doug Fister entrenched at the front-end of it.

But, more importantly, it leaves only one spot in the rotation up for grabs this spring.

Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski told reporters in early November that he was more than comfortable in letting Porcello and left-hander Drew Smyly fill out the starting five.

That will no longer be necessary.

Could Porcello and Smyly both remain with the club when pitchers and catchers report in mid-February? It's possible. But Smyly would likely need to shift to the bullpen -- a move the Tigers' front office and
Leyland's staff would probably prefer avoid altogether.

And, given the interest Porcello has drawn on the trade market, it seemingly makes more sense to deal Porcello and address an area that is of much larger concern.

So, why is Porcello the odd-man out?

The Tigers like Smyly. That's not to say they don't like Porcello, but there's a couple key differences between the two starters.

One: Smyly is left-handed. Avoiding an all-righty rotation isn't the Tigers' key concern, but adding a southpaw would add some much-needed balance.

Two: Smyly is set to make near the league minimum in 2013. Porcello, meanwhile, is projected to earn more than $4 million through the arbitration process this winter.

As it stands, the Tigers' payroll is expected to exceed $150 million in 2013 -- a significant jump from the $133 million the club opened the season with last year.

Tigers owner Mike Ilitch has shown his willingness to win -- and win now -- but, as manager Jim Leyland has repeated throughout this winter, every team has a budget.

The Tigers are less likely to lure a closer on the free-agent market after Friday's expensive addition, but that's not to say they couldn't use Porcello to shop for a late-inning reliever on the trade market.

So, who makes sense?

Pittsburgh's Joel Hanrahan is a possibility. The Pirates are reportedly scouring the market for starting pitchers and Hanrahan could be used as trade bait after the team signed Jason Grilli last week.

Cleveland's Chris Perez is another potential target, albeit a much more expensive candidate. He's projected to earn a salary that exceeds $7 million next season and would likely require a packaged deal. A highly touted prospect might need to be included to pull that one off.

Too expensive? What about Arizona's J.J. Putz or San Diego's Huston Street? Both are right-handers, but they each have ninth-inning experience and could be considered.

Bottom line: Porcello's days are numbered.

The offseason blueprint Dombrowski laid out in early November is finally nearing completion, and it appears Porcello is the bait Detroit will need to get it done.